The box contains one laserdisc entitled "Laserdisc Explorer: Education and Entertainment System", and a 261 page "User's Guide To Accompany An American Portfolio: A Videodisc For U.S. History", by Gene A. Sessions & Lesli P. Wallace.

The disc contains over 1,700 still images, 28 Closer Look case studies, 14 map animations, 77 individual maps and 22 minutes of video clips. The book is filled with barcodes and descriptions (about 10 per page) from the Smithsonian Institution which corresponds to a specific still frame on the laserdisc. It is designed to be connected to a computer, barcode scanner and monitor for teaching purposes. The topics cover American history from the time before Columbus, until the present (1993).